By Izunna Okafor, Awka | 20-05-2026
In every democratic society, there comes a moment when politics should rise beyond campaigns, ambitions, or smart calculations, and confront a deeper moral question of justice, fairness, inclusion, and collective conscience. Such moments often define not just the direction of a political party, but also the character of a people and the sincerity of the core values and philosophy the party professes.
For the people of Nnewi South Constituency II and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), that moment appears to have arrived ahead of the 2027 Anambra State House of Assembly election.
As the clock gradually ticks toward the May 23, 2026 primary election of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), a defining moral and political question currently confronts the leadership of the party, the party members/stakeholders, and indeed the entire people of Nnewi South Constituency II. That question is: Will justice finally speak for Ebenator this time, or will another opportunity for fairness and equity be allowed to slip away?
The recently released screening result of APGA cleared three aspirants for the House of Assembly primary election in Nnewi South Constituency II; and they are: Amb. Peter Oluchukwu Ezenwa, popularly known as Opendo, from Ebenator; Engr. Felix Odimegwu from Ezinifite; and the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Johnbosco Akaegbobi from Ukpor.
No doubt, these are all qualified aspirants, and every qualified aspirant has the constitutional right to contest elections. However, beyond legality lies morality; beyond politics lies justice; and beyond ambition lies the larger interest of fairness, equity, balance, and historical justice. And this very political season in Nnewi South Constituency II presents a situation where political realities demand that stakeholders rise above personal ambitions and consider these broader interests of fairness, balance, unity, and historical justice.
As usual, the moment also presents another season of test and reconfirmation of whether APGA truly believes in the “Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya” mantra, the very noble philosophy upon which it has built its identity over the years.
The political history of Nnewi South Constituency II clearly shows that every other community within the constituency has, at different times, taken substantial shares from the political table, except Ebenator. In other words, for nearly three decades, political opportunities within the Constituency have continued to rotate among particular communities, while only Ebenator has remained consistently excluded from the mainstream political equation despite being an integral part of the constituency.
Since the return of democratic governance in 1999, every other community that makes up Nnewi South Constituency II has had the opportunity to produce either lawmakers or occupants of major political offices and government slots associated with the Constituency. Ebenator, however, remains the only community that has not enjoyed such privilege. This is the bitter but undeniable reality at the heart of the ongoing conversation.
Without going too far into history, Ukpor, for instance, where the incumbent Hon. Akaegbobi comes from, has occupied the House of Assembly seat for an overwhelming portion of the constituency’s democratic history. The immediate-past era saw Rt. Hon. Rita Maduagwu from Ukpor represent the Constituency for two terms of 8 years and even commendably served as the Speaker of the House of Assembly, after which the representative seat again remained in Ukpor following the election of Hon. Johnbosco Akaegbobi as her successor in 2019.
Hon. Akaegbobi as at then (prior to the 2019 election that produced him), loudly criticized, opposed, resisted and campaigned against the third-term ambition of Rt. Hon. Rita Maduagwu, arguing that two terms were enough for any public office holder to make meaningful impact and achieve whatever he/she wants to achieve in the office.
Ironically, however, today, after almost completing his two terms of uninterrupted eight years in office, Hon. Akaegbobi is here again seeking third term re-election, the very political move he loudly criticized and opposed in 2019, which made the Constituents lose their Speakership in the House of Assembly in 2019.
How can one justifiably explain this political irony?
Even more ironic is the fact that one of the strongest public criticisms against this prolonged political dominance recently came from another aspirant currently in the race, Engr. Felix Odimegwu from Ezinifite, who himself has also taken his own fair share of political leadership and dominance, alongside his community when it comes to political slots in Nnewi South.
Speaking recently after undergoing APGA’s screening exercise in Awka, Engr. Odimegwu openly confirmed that Ukpor town had occupied the constituency seat for about 25 years out of the 27 years of the constituency’s democratic existence. He argued that equity and fairness demand that power should shift to other communities within the constituency. In the interview, he also openly criticized the third-term ambition of the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Akaegbobi.
Meanwhile, Engr. Odimegwu himself had served two terms as Chairman of Nnewi South Local Government Area. Beyond that, he also recently served four years as the State’s Commissioner for Environment, a strategic political slot allocated to the local government. Before him, his community, Ezinifite had also produced a Local Government Chairman and Lawmaker who represented the Nnewi South Constituency II, in the person of Barr. Egwuoyibo Okoye, among other political slots zoned to or occupied by indigenes of the community within the Constituency.
On its own Akwaihedi, which is another community in Nnewi South Constituency II, had also produced a two-term Local Government Chairman in the person of Engr. Henry Chieloka Okoye, who also flew the APGA ticket for the Constituency in the 2023 House of Assembly election.
In all these, one may kindly ask: What then has Ebenator produced and what political position has the town occupied within the Constituency since the inception of the democratic dispensation? One may also wonder how long a people should continue waiting before fairness remembers them.
Therein comes in the emotional heartbeat of the agitation people and lovers of equity are currently making for the Ebenator to produce the next representative for Nnewi South Constituency II in the State House of Assembly.
For decades, Ebenator has watched other communities rotate political offices among themselves while it remained on the sidelines. Yet, the community has continued to contribute loyally to the political growth, stability, and electoral success of the constituency and the party. Its people have supported others, mobilized for elections, strengthened party structures, and stood firmly with APGA. But when it comes to actual political inclusion and representation, Ebenator has repeatedly been left behind.
This is why the agitation for Ebenator should not be misunderstood or deliberately misrepresented as a divisive political project. It is also not an attempt to create hostility among sister communities; neither is it a movement rooted in bitterness or division. Instead, it is a legitimate and morally defensible call for inclusion, balance, fairness, and a sense of belonging. It is a demand that aligns perfectly with the philosophy upon which APGA prides itself, the noble principle of “Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya” (Living No One Behind) — a mantra that emphasizes brotherhood, collective participation, and the principle that no community should be abandoned or perpetually marginalized.
It’s no longer news that APGA has projected itself as a party deeply rooted in Igbo communal values, justice, and grassroots inclusiveness. The time and situation has come once again for the party to practically demonstrate this.
Perhaps, what makes this current situation even more emotionally and morally compelling are reports surrounding the political understanding that previously existed between Engr. Odimegwu and Opendo. It was widely gathered that before the recent release of the commissioner-nominees list by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Engr. Odimegwu had reportedly assured Opendo of his support for the House of Assembly seat, believing that he would likely return as Commissioner in the Governor’s second term. This also reportedly based on the premise
Reports also indicate that Opendo, relying on those assurances and trusting in the equity arrangement many stakeholders discussed privately, actively mobilized support for the party at the grassroots, including sponsoring and driving the recent APGA registration exercise in different parts of the constituency, including in Engr. Odimegwu’s ward in Ezinifite.
However, shortly after Engr. Odimegwu’s name was reportedly absent from the commissioner-nominees list sent to the House of Assembly, political events suddenly changed direction, as he immediately rushed to purchase the APGA expression of interest form to join the House of Assembly race himself, ignoring all his earlier promises and assurances of support to Opendo.
This, once again, buttresses the assertion that politics often reveals whether principles are truly convictions or merely rhetorics and convenient words spoken in passing moments to score some cheap political points.
While politics naturally permits every qualified individual to aspire for office, this narrative —(which though is yet to be confirmed or defended by Engr. Odimegwu as at the time of this publication, as efforts by this reporter to contact him proved abortive) — further strengthens the moral argument that this should be the time to truly stand by fairness and the earlier understanding that Ebenator deserves its turn in the Constituency.
Interestingly, Opendo’s campaign and aspiration, although anchored on the mantra “Ka Ebenator Jekene” has not been based on zoning sentiment alone.
From the day of his declaration till date, he has consistently projected a people-oriented vision and manifesto centered on youth empowerment, technology and vocational training, agricultural support, healthcare improvement, infrastructure development, elderly welfare, grassroots inclusion, and balanced distribution of opportunities and dividends of democracy across the constituency.
Indeed, this is the time for APGA leadership, members/stakeholders to demonstrate courage, sincerity, and fairness. This is the time to show that no community within APGA should remain permanently excluded while others continuously recycle political opportunities and slots among themselves. Even Anambra, as a State, has a zoning principle; and that has helped to uphold the spirit of unity, fairness, equity and brotherhood in the state.
Today, in Nnewi South Constituency II, history is watching; the people are watching; and most importantly, the conscience of justice is watching to see if this will be upheld in the coming election.
As APGA members and stakeholders prepare to hold their primary election on Saturday, and as constituents look ahead to the 2027 general election, this moment demands sober reflection from all lovers of fairness and justice in Nnewi South Constituency II.
This is not merely about choosing a candidate, but about deciding whether Ebenator should continue to remain the sidelined brother in the political family of Nnewi South II or finally be allowed to sit at the table of representation like every other community had done in one time or the other.
If indeed APGA truly believes that no brother should be left behind, then perhaps the time has finally come to prove it in Nnewi South Constituency II, not with words, but with action.
KA EBENATOR JEKENE !
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Izunna Okafor is an Anambra-based journalist and writer.
